MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo flew to Hong Kong on Friday but will be back next week to attend a hearing by the Ombudsman on the national broadband network (NBN) deal, his lawyer and spokesman said.

Mr. Arroyo " went to Hong Kong to have acupuncture for his chronic back pain. He will return in a few days time for the next hearing of the Office
of the Ombudsman," Ruy Rondain said.

Rondain said Mr. Arroyo would return to submit his counter-affidavit to
the Ombudsman.

"He will not escape the charges," Rondain said in a phone interview, when asked about speculations his client left the country to evade summons to investigations on the allegedly overpriced $329-million contract between the government and China's ZTE Corp. for the national broadband network project.

A Senate witness, Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., linked the First Gentleman and former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. to the alleged overpricing and kickbacks surrounding the ZTA deal.